Rotary valve timer



Nov. 22, 1927.

' 1,650,082 c. 'r. LITTON ROTARY VALVE TIMER Filed May 10, 1926 A fl-or flags with) Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLYDE T. LITTON, OF VINGIIEWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

. Application filed May '10,

My invention is a rotary valve timer'for lntern'al combustion engines.

V An object of my invention 1s the construe-f tion of a timer for. rotary valves of lnternal a quick partial that the intake may pause a short time at their respective ports in the,

engine cylinders and the intake and exhaust valves would then have a quick movement. This quick movement operates both to open the valves quickly and to close them quickly. Another object of my invention is in. a Inulti-cylinder internal combustion engine having tending diametrically therethrough to rotate the valves in stages with distinct stopping periods, and having means to positively stop and retain the valves from rotation until moved again by a cam or toothed-like device. A more specific object of my invention is in the construction of a positively stopping device for quickly bringing the rotary valves to rest after they have been moved and retaining them at rest until again. partially'ro tated by the actuating device. In constructing my timer I utilize preferably substantially cylindrical rotary valves, there being a set of valves for the intake and another set for the exhaust. These valves lead from inlet and exhaust manifolds to inlet and exhaust ports, the ports beingeither in a cylinder head or in the cylinders. A disc is secured on one end of each of the valve rotors and has a series of pins therein. These pins are engaged successively by a pair of toothed cams, there being one cam for the intake and one for the exhaust valves. The construction of the toothed cams as to shape and action is such that the rotary valves are quickly rotated a part of a turn and then the ins are disengaged by the cam structure. The toothed cams are rotated by a suitable drive from the crank shaft or the like.

In addition to the above features I employ a stopping device formed of a spring of suitable shapeof the leaf type, having one end secured to a fixed block or the like and the other end free to engage between two pins, the spring being normally under tension forcing it towards the pins and when the pins are in such relative position to the it stops I spring that is may engage same,

the rotation of the rotary valves. The

valves, step by V a pair of rotary valves with ports ex valve rotors 0f RQTARY V LV TIMER.

1926. Serial No; 108,028.

toothed; cams are arranged so as to disengage the spring as well as to rotate the valves;

My invention will be more readilyunder stood from the following drawings, in which; I y

, Figure 1 is a section on the line '11'of 2, taken'in the direction of the arrows;

. 1g. Fig.- 1,"on the line 22. in the'direction of the arrows, with one of the rotary'valves and cylinders shown in vertical section; Y

description and 2 is a brokenflongitudinal section of Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1,in the'direction of the arrows,

showing the valve rotors and part of the cylinders in horizontal section;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of'part of Fig. 1, showing the action of the toothed cams operating the pins on the rotary valves;

"Fig. 5 is :a detail section through one of the pins as if taken on the line 5-5-of Fig. 4.

My valve timer is intended to be used with arotary type of valve and may be utilized with valves such as shown in my prior application for an internal combustion motor, Serial No. 39,033, filed June 23, 1925.

In the drawings one of the cylinders is indicated by the numeral 1, having the usual water jacket 2.- A cylinder head 3 has'water jackets 4 therein. The valve rotors may be designated as an 1nlet rotor 5"having a valve 6 therein and an exhaust valve rotor 7 having an exhaustvalve 8 therein. The inlet valve registers in its rotation withthe inlet passage .9 which would be connected to an inlet manibe connected to an. exhaust manifoldor the like.

In the type of rotorsshown the valves extend diametrically thereacross and for a multi-cylinder engine would be positioned at different angles one relative to the other alongthe length of the valve rotors so that I they may come into and out of operation at the proper time.

illustrated I have shown same as being adapted for a six cylinder in line engine, the each engine being required to -make halfa revolution forthe full cycles of'each cylinder. I

The valve rotors are illustrated as having an anti-friction bearing 14: forming a journal In the construction of the valve timer cams androtatc on the stub shafts.

thereto by screws 19 or the like. These pins are regularly spaced around the discs and would correspond to the number of cylinders.

As this timer is for a six cylinder motor there are twelve pins, six of which fare required to rotate the valve rotors througl'l a .half circle and give the proper pause for the intake and exhaust stoppage of the rotors when the respective valves register with their respective cylinders.

The pins are engaged by toothed cams 20 which are mounted on stub shafts 21, these shafts being rigidly supported. in a suitable timer housing 22. Worm gears 23 are formed integral with or keyed tothe toothed These worm gears are in mesh with a worm 24- driven bya vertical shaft 25 which is actuated by the crank shaft through a suitable gear train. The vertical shaft has an antifriotion bearing 26 at the top.

Stationary blocks 27 are secured in the housing preferably being directly mounted on the cover plate 28 or any other suitable mounting. These blocks have stop springs 28 secured thereto, the free ends of the springs having a tip end 29 adapted to engage one of the rollers on the pins while the shoulder 30 engages the next adjacent roller. The spring is provided with a flat surface 31 to ride on the roller as hereunder set forth. I

The toothed cams are provided with a series of teeth 31, these teeth having a projecting end 32 which engages the fiat surface 31 of the springs as clearly illustrated in Fig. 45, releasing the shoulder 30 from the roller of one of the pins. The recess 33 of the tooth engages the roller and moves same through one-twelfth of a circle before disengagement from the tooth. The peripheral edge 34% of the toothed cams are set in towards the axis a sufficient distance so that the rollers will not contact therewith.

- The action of my rotary valve timer is subspring and also rotates the discs by means of engaging the pins through part of a rotation. In this action the flat surface of the spring 31 rolls on the succeeding roller until it is engaged by the tip end 19 of the spring when'the shoulder 30 engages the following pin andbringsthe valve rotor to rest.

It will be understood that when the engine is operated at high speed the toothed cams movement. As these rotors are mounted in easy running bearings, if they did not have a positive stop device they would probably rotated too far and put the valves out of proper registry one with the other and with the respective cylinders. However, with the positive stop device, due to the stationary block 27 of the springs each valve rotor is brought to rest between each turning movement By the design of the machine the turning movement is quick and the pause is of slightly longer duration than the timeof turning. Therefore when the valves register with their respective ports,either the inlet or the exhaust. a suflicient time is given for the inlet of fuel and the exhaust of the products of combustion and by the rotary move ment of the valve rotors these valves are brought into and out of registry with the respective inlet and outlet passages quickly.

Although my invention is of a simple character, it will nevertheless be apparent that it accomplishes an important result in the step by step manipulation of rotary The type of motion and v'alve'timer valves. it will also be apparent can be adapted to motors having a different nu'mber of cylinders than those for which it is illustrated. Therefore it may be necessary to modify my construction in general features of specific; details to suit different circumstances. Such changes however, would be within the spirit of my invention as set forth in the description, drawings and claims. Q N i in order that the teeth 31 of the .toothed cam may have a certain resiliency these] are formed of a strip of resilient metal secured around the circular body structure 35 ofthe cam and attached thereto by screws '36 or other suitable fastening. It will' thus be seen that there is an open space 37 behind each of the teeth, thus allowing'a slight resilient action.

It will be noted that the spring .28 has an 7 extension 31 beyond the-flat surface 31'. This end extends beyond a recess to engage the pins. By this construction should the engine back fire and the teeth 31 reversethe'ir direction of movement, the spring would be lifted by the teeth before these engage the pins, and then reversing the movement of the valves without breaking the springs.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 7 1.- A rotary valve timer comprisi'ng in combination a valve rotor having valves therein, a series of pins operatively connected to the valve rotor and a toothed cam to en a 'e said )ins mtermittentl and rotate.

e a y the rotor step by step.

2. A rotary valve timer comprising in combination a valve rotor having a series of valves therein, a series of pins operatively connected to the valve rotor, a rotatable toothed cam to engage said pins intermittently and rotate the valve rotor step by step, and a stop device positioned to engage some of the pins between the movement and to hold the valve rotors stationary.

3'. A rotary valve timer as claimed in claim 2 in which the teeth of the toothed cam are positioned to engage the stop device and disengage same from the pins to allow rotation of the rotor.

4. A rotary valve timer comprising in combination a valve rotor having a series of valves, a disc operatively connected to one end of the rotor, a series of pins mounted in a circle on the disc, a. rotary toothed, cain positioned to engage the pins in succession and rotate the rotor, and means to positively stop the rotation oi the rotor between move" ments,

5. A rotary valve timer as claimed in claim l, in which the means to stop the rotation of the rotor comprises a resilient spring device having a fixed mounting at one end,v the spring being positioned to engage some of the pins between the movements. v

6. A rotary valve timer as claimed in claim 4, in which the means to stop the rotation of the rotor comprises a stationary block having a spring connected thereto, the spring being positioned to engage between two of the pins and to restrain same from movement, and the teeth of the cam being constructed to engage and release the spring from the pins to allow rotation of the rotor.

7. A rotary valve timer comprising in combination a pair of valve rotors having valves therein, a disc operatively connected I in succession and rotate the rotors through partof a circle, a block having a spring, the free end of the spring engagingbetween two pins to restrain the rotors from movement in the periods between rotation, the cams contacting with the springs and disengaging them from the pins, a succeeding pin sliding on part of the springin the rotary movement.

8. In a rotary valve timer having a series of pins operatively connected to avalve rotor having valves therein, asp ring mounted in a fixed position having a tip end adapted to engage a pin, a shoulder positionedto engage the next adjacent pin and to restrain the rotor from rotating, and a toothed cam rotat ably mounted, the teeth being positioned to engage the spring and disengage the shoulder before the tooth engages the pin resting against the tip of the spring.

9. In a rotary valve timer as claimed in claim 8, in which the spring is provided with a flat surface between the shoulder and the tip, said surface being adapted to bear against the pin which was held by the shoulder on the partial rotation of the rotor.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

i CLYDE T. LITTON.

the teeth of 

